AS THE longest election campaign in living memory reaches its climax, an unfortunate aura hangs over it - a sense that is already all over.

It is, of course, an atmosphere that has prevailed throughout - fed by the national media and by the opinion polls.

Voters would be rash to give credence to this belief or, worse, follow the mood.

For it is not the fallible pollsters, the TV pundits or the opinion formers in print who determine the governance of Britain, but its people.

And in exercising that choice to the full - by coming out to vote - only the electorate has the actual and potent power to determine when it really is all over and which party is in charge.

It is in every individual's interest to vote. Stay-at-homes forsake their stake in the future - and their right to find fault with the politicians who shape it for them.

But if the it's-all-over tendency is baleful and negative in that sense in any election, it is, surely, misguided in this one.

Alas, issues have been suppressed in this campaign by a combination of media steerage and personality contrasts - that led to it being dominated by sleaze at the outset and, later, by Europe, at the expense of a thorough debate on so many other crucial considerations.

But considering what is at stake as we head to the Millennium - the constitutional structure and sovereignty of Britain, in particular; the future of our schools, hospitals and jobs; and the choice between new and old - it is vital that every vote should be cast and made to count.

On that, at least, all the parties agree.

But everyone should be taking part also for the thrill of actual involvement and making their choice.

Look at the options. The Tories, after 18 long years in power, are warning against the "siren voice of change."

Stick with them, they say; you know what to expect and what you can trust.

But it is Labour's change that makes this contest so different.

What is New Labour - a Conservative clone or, underneath the cautious moderation that has characterised its campaign, a radical force that a large majority might unleash to the full?

What about the Liberal Democrats?

They have been the honest party of this election - frank and determined to put issues first.

But even if they are are patently a minority third force, their influence in certain parts of the country, in several marginal seats and, as a potential coalition forger, cannot be ignored. As Europe overshadows both the election and the country's future, nor can the Referendum Party's intervention be dismissed.

It is only when the votes for these and the fringe fighters are counted that it will really be all over.

And voters falling for the fatalistic view that the outcome is already beyond their influence need only to look at the upset last time - when so many said it was in the bag for Labour.

You decide.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.